combining actions to solve simple problems (intention)
-searches for and finds concealed objects that have not been visibly displaced

tertiary circular reactions (12-18 months)

experimenting to find new ways to solve problems or reproduce interesting outcomes
-searches for and finds objects that have been visibly displaced

invention of new means through mental combinations (18-24 months

first evidence of insight as the child solves problems at an internal, symbolic level
-object concept is complete
-searches for and finds object that have been hiddent through invisible displacement

deferred imitation

ability to reproduce the behavior of an absent model

object permenance

the idea that objects continue to exist when they are no longer visible or detectable through the other sense

a not b error

tendency of children to search for a hidden object where they previously found it even after seeing it moved

neo-nativists

theorists who believe that infants are born with substantial innate knowledge about the physical world

theory theories

infants are prepared from birth to make sense of certain classes of information; infants construct "theories" about how the world works and testing and modifying their theories until th emodels in their brain resemble the way the world is structured

preoperational stage (2-7)

children are thinking at a symbolic level but are not yet using cognitive operations

symbolic function

the ability to use symbols to represent objects and experiences

representational insight

the knowledge that an entity can stand for something other than itself

dual representation

ability to represent and object simultaneously as an object itself and as a representation of something else

animism

attributing life and lifelike qualities to inanimate objects

egocentrism

tendency to view the world from ones own perspective and to have difficulty recognizing another person's point of view

appearance/reality distinction

ability to keep the true properties or characteristics of an object in mind despite the deceptive appearance the object has assumed; notably lacking among young children during the preconceptual period

centration

tendency of preoperational children to attend to one aspect of a situation to the exclusion of others

conservation

recognition that the properties of an object or substance do not change when its appearance is altered in some superficial way

decentration

ability to concentrate on more than one aspect of a problem at the same time

reversibility

ability to mentally undo or negate an action by mentally performing the opposite action

identity training

teaching children to recognize that the object or substance transformed in a conservation task is still the same object or substance regardless of appearance

theory of mind

childresn's developing concepts of mental activity- an understanding of how the human mind owrks and a knowledge that humans are cognitive beings whose mental states are not always shared with or accessible to others

belief desire reasoning

we understand that our behvior and the behaior of others is based on what we know or believe and what we want or desire

false belief task

type of task in theory of mind studies in which the child must infer that another person does not possess knowledge that he or she possesses

concrete operational period (7-11 years)

children are acquiring cognitive operations and thinking more logically about real objects and experiences
-acquire conservation and reversibility

mental seriation

a cognitive operation that allows one to mentally order a set of stimuli along a quantifiable dimension such as height or weight

transitivity

ablitity to recognize relations among elements in a serial order
(a>b, b>c then a>c)